Cheerleader Reunion
by King in Yellow
Summary: Six years after high school graduation the Middleton cheerleaders reunite at a wedding. Some have changed little and some have changed much. And sometimes they react to who others were rather than who they are now. Best Enemies universe.
1. Paradise Revisited

Disney owns all of the Kim Possible characters.

NoDrogs created Kasy and Sheki, who have a different origin in my stories.

This story falls between A Nightmare before Christmas and Return of the Green-Eyed Monster.

All names of cheerleaders are 'official'. At different times one girl was called Maggie or Jessica. I made them sisters. In my stories Tara has a daughter named Jessica - mentioned in first paragraph.

**Paradise Revisited**

Tara gave Shego some last minute instructions, "Jessica is potty trained. But sometimes forgets if she's having a good time playing."

"I'll make sure she doesn't have a good time."

The blonde woman looked shocked.

"I'm kidding," Shego assured her.

"Hurry up!" Bonnie called and Tara quickly kissed her six-year-old son and four-year-old daughter and left them to play with Kasy and Sheki.

"Honestly," Bonnie complained as they headed out to the car, "why couldn't you leave the kids home with Josh?"

"He had work to do. I didn't want to bother him."

_"I wonder what color hair his work has,"_ Bonnie thought. Ron had left the trunk open for Bonnie's bag and the brunette got in the passenger's seat beside Kim while Tara got into the back seat with Ron for the trip to the airport.

"Thanks for paying my way," Tara thanked Bonnie again.

"No problem, it will be great to have so many of us together for Crystal's wedding."

"You're helping Tara?" Kim asked.

_"I wish Tara had kept her mouth shut,"_ Bonnie thought. "It's nothing. I'm not spending much in Hollywood and didn't want Tara left out."

Kim took her eyes off the road long enough to flash Bonnie a warm smile. "Six years ago, I never wanted to see you again. Now, don't know what I'd do without you."

"Yeah, life's weird. Eyes on the road." Kim, Ron, and Tara were all thinking how the actress had matured. Back in high school she would have trumpeted the fact she was helping Tara to the world. Now she really appeared to want to keep it quiet. Bonnie hoped the other two cheerleaders she was helping to attend the wedding were able to remain silent about the money she had given them so they could attend.

"Ron, I hope that box I saw in the trunk does not contain what I think it contains."

Ron said nothing.

"Ron?"

"Hey, the mad dog was my role on the squad. I had to bring the head."

Bonnie shook her head sadly. "Well, some of us have grown up in the last six years." She turned to Kim. "How do you want to present yourself at the reunion?"

"How do I want to present myself?"

"You and Shego are not exactly the best kept secret in Middleton. But you aren't out on the front lawn waving flags with pink triangles either. Most people think Ron is the father of Kasy and Sheki--"

"He's not?" Tara asked.

"No," Kim assured her, "it was in vitro fertilization… Artificial." Kim didn't tell Tara how very artificial it had been. Tara had been told this before, but when you watched Ron being dad to the girls it was easy to forget he wasn't their father. "What's your point?" she asked Bonnie.

"Do you want him for the weekend?"

"What!" Ron demanded from the back seat.

"Yeah, what he said," Kim added.

"Just suggesting the two of you show up arm in arm and--"

"I thought the paper said you and Ron were engaged," Tara interrupted.

Bonnie held up her left hand so Tara could see it, "You see an engagement ring?" Kim shot Bonnie a knowing glance. She recognized the gesture was more a hint aimed at Ron than an explanation to Tara. Bonnie continued, "We've got two adjoining rooms with connecting doors. Two double beds in each room. Ron and Kim will officially check into one, Tara and I will check into the other. After we retire for the night I trade Tara for Ron."

Tara seemed a little uncertain about the concept. "So I go into one room with Bonnie, and then I sleep on the second bed in the room with Kim while Ron sleeps on the second bed in the room with you?" she asked Bonnie.

"Not exact… Yes, that's how works. Ron and I will have the two beds in my room." When Ron looked like he wanted to protest the second bed Bonnie gave him a wink and he remained silent.

"I guess that's okay," Kim said slowly. "Look, I'm not going to deny being with Shego if anyone asks me. But I figure who a person sleeps with shouldn't matter if they're both adults and not cheating on anyone else." She sighed deeply, "And this is supposed to be about Crystal's wedding, not about any of us… Thanks, Bonnie, it's amazingly thoughtful of you."

"You two in the back seat got that?" Bonnie asked.

"Drool all over Kim, check," Ron called.

"Kim's right. You don't need to lie to anyone. Just show up together and everyone will assume what they already assume."

"And what was that again?" Tara asked.

"That Ron and Kim are together," Bonnie repeated slowly. "You don't need to talk about Shego. If anyone asks your kids are staying at Kim's house with a babysitter." _ "If this falls apart it will be Tara's fault."_

The flight was uneventful.

"The mountains are gorgeous!" Tara enthused as they drove the rental car to the lodge in the fading light.

"I'll bet the skiing is great in the winter," Kim agreed.

"Could you explain again why the wedding is going to be here?" Ron wanted to know.

"Crystal met the owner's daughter in college," Bonnie explained. "Maybe they were roommates or something. I think they're letting Crystal use it at cost for the wedding - winter is their big season. We'll probably meet the owner's daughter while we're here."

Bonnie pulled out her cell phone and called Maggie as soon as they glimpsed the lodge, "Kim, Ron, Tara, and Bonnie reporting for duty. We can see lodge now."

_"Park on the east side"_

As soon as Kim parked the car the four were ambushed. There were squeals of joy and hugs all around.

"Liz and Linda missed a connection, they won't be in until around midnight," Jessica explained.

"And Crystal is doing wedding stuff, but she'll join us in the lounge as soon as she can," Hope added.

"Ron, would you be a dear and carry in all the luggage?" Bonnie requested. "All the luggage except that ratty-looking dog head. You can leave that in the car."

"You have the mad dog head?" Marcella asked. "Oh, you've got to bring that in. You can wear it to the wedding."

"No," Kim declared flatly. "Don't put any ideas in his head."

"The poor things would probably die of loneliness," Bonnie added.

Tara stayed with Ron and helped him so that they could carry in all the luggage on one trip. "You should have gone in with the rest of them," Ron chided.

"You were a cheerleader too. We can't all be there until you're with us," she reminded him. "Besides I feel like I owe Bonnie some--"

"I think Bonnie just wants you to have a good time. And I think she would be happy if you didn't mention that any more, but just enjoyed yourself."

"Okay."

The lounge was the large, central room of the resort. A long bar filled one end and a few guests, probably there for the wedding, sat there drinking. The cheerleaders who had arrived first had staked out an area around the fireplace. When Maggie, Jessica, Bonnie, Kim, Hope, and Marcella got to the lounge they found a photographer waiting.

"Can we get a group picture?" Hope asked.

"Sorry, I'm just here to get a couple shots of Ms. Rockwaller. Owner wants one signed and framed up on the wall in the dining room. Probably get another one in the local paper."

"Sorry," Bonnie apologized to the others, "be back in a minute."

"Calm down," Marcella told the fuming Hope, "we want Ron, Tara, Linda, Liz, and Crystal in the picture."

"This is just like high school," Hope snapped, "Bonnie always has to be the center of attention. Kim has done a lot more than all of us together and she gets ignored."

"I'm fine, really," Kim assured her. "I really value my privacy. Bonnie has to pose and smile or her studio might get mad at her."

"There's a change," Marcella snorted, "Kim defending Bonnie."

"Kim was always nice," Jessica responded. "Not as nice as Tara… Where is Tara?" She turned to Kim, "She came with you."

Maggie, Jessica's older sister, answered the question. "She stayed to help Ron carry in the bags. She hasn't changed, always the sweetest kid on the squad."

All the others nodded, although Hope had to add, "Not the brightest kid on the squad, but certainly the sweetest." She turned to Kim, "Are she and Josh still together?"

"Yes," was Kim's noncommittal reply.

"Going to get married someday?"

"You need to ask her yourself, I don't talk about other people's private lives."

Since Kim refused to gossip the conversation turned to other women and what they'd been doing since college.

Ron and Tara had meanwhile arrived at their rooms. For the sake of appearances, and the practice, Tara took her luggage, and Bonnie's, into their room while Ron took his bags, and Kim's, into the room next door. As Bonnie had been promised the rooms had connecting doors.

Ron opened the door on his side and knocked on the door on Tara's side. "Should I bring my duffle over there now?" he asked when she answered. "You can bring your suitcase in here."

Tara hesitated, "What if someone comes back to talk?"

"You're right… Besides, we'll probably just leave the doors open and be back and forth between the rooms all weekend. Hey, thanks for helping me."

"No problem, let's find the others."

The two linked arms and went in search of the lounge.

By the time the two of them found the others the photographer had finished with pictures of Bonnie and she sat beside Kim on a couch. At Ron's appearance Bonnie slid over and Ron plopped himself down between the two. Hope and Marcella both noticed that Ron sat slightly closer to Bonnie - their legs touched while there was a space between Kim and Ron at least three inches wide.

Jessica, an assistant manager at a Computer World, had them all rolling with stories about clueless customers when Crystal staggered in and collapsed on a large chair which had been left open.

Crystal rubbed her hands slowly across her eyes then stared up at the ceiling, "Is it too late to call the wedding off?"

"What's wrong," Tara asked.

"I don't know who's worse - my mother or his mother. Between the two of them they are driving me crazy!"

Marcella patted her hand and assured her she would survive.

"Would a drink help," Maggie asked.

"There isn't a drink in the world big enough to… A glass of white, please." Maggie headed to the bar and Crystal smiled at her friends. "I am so glad I have you here to keep me sane."

"I hope you're not counting on Ron for any sanity," Bonnie protested.

"Ron was the nicest guy in Middleton," Crystal responded. "I just hope Tony and I can be as happy as Kim and Ron."

Hope, Marcella, and Jessica all noticed that the four from Middleton didn't seem to join the general laughter after Crystal's declaration.

Everyone but Crystal had almost finished their second drink; wine, beer, cocktail, or soda, and Crystal had started her second glass of wine when Maggie's cell phone rang. "They just turned onto the county road," she told the others, "they should be here in less than fifteen minutes."

"Oh, I'm getting champagne for everyone," Hope announced and headed to the bar. The bartender wouldn't let glass flutes out of the bar area, but had plastic flutes. They all headed for the parking lot, with Hope balancing the tray with the champagne and Marcella opening doors for her.

"Next time just get a couple bottles and carry the glasses empty," Jessica suggested as Hope moved slowly and carefully.

"Hindsight is perfect," Hope grumbled. "Hey, if any of you would carry your glasses it would be appreciated." Enough people grabbed glasses that Hope abandoned the tray in the hallway.

Despite the season it was cool at night and they huddled together as they looked for the lights of the car with Liz and Linda. Maggie looked around her and couldn't help but comment, "You people are incredible. I think you turned around the athletic programs at Middleton."

"I don't believe that," Tara responded, "we were just cheerleaders."

"Just cheerleaders… Don't give me that," Maggie insisted, "attendance was down at games, the coaches had trouble recruiting enough players for some teams. You made the difference."

"You're fishing for compliments," Bonnie protested, "you want us to point out how brilliant you were for recruiting a squad of freshmen."

Maggie laughed, "Well, not brilliant… Okay, maybe brilliant. But you and Kim were infamous for your rivalry before you ever reached high school--"

"No we weren't," Kim objected.

"Yes you were," Marcella insisted. "I remember you in middle school. Liz will second that when she gets here."

"We weren't that bad," Kim grumbled quietly.

"Yes, you were," Maggie insisted. "But I knew if I got you both on the squad you'd be so busy trying to top the other we'd have a great squad."

"Is that why you didn't want to be head cheerleader?" Ron asked. "It seemed kind of weird, the senior cheerleader on the squad nominating two freshman."

"Ding, ding, ding," Maggie announced, "we have a winner. Somebody give the man a kiss." Bonnie quickly obliged, giving Ron a fast peck on the cheek. "Kim won, but Bonnie kept her on her toes, kept pressuring her to do her best. I'm just glad I graduated at the end of that first year. I was starting to worry one of you might kill the other."

"Thanks for leaving us with the powder keg," Jessica complained. "The two of them were always at each other the three years I was with them. It was a lot more peaceful after they graduated."

"And tell me, Sis, where did the Middleton cheerleaders place in state competition that year after they left when you were head cheerleader?"

Jessica changed the subject quickly, "Hey, I see headlights."

Liz and Linda were barely out of the car before glasses were pressed into their hands.

Maggie shouted the first toast, "Mad Dogs rule!"

Kim slipped hers in second, "Friends forever!"

Ron got a laugh with, "No more Mr. Barkin!"

Liz proposed a toast for not getting lost on the drive, and then the women cheered when Tara proposed, "Crystal and Tony, may they always be happy together." Those who had anything left in their glasses drained them and they all moved back inside to the lounge.

The bar was closed, but the lounge still open and they sat and talked until almost two. Liz had started work on her Master's degree. Marcella was doing well in nursing school. Hope assured them that the real estate market was improving and showed a picture of her boyfriend, "You'll all be invited," she assured them. Kim and Tara passed around pictures of their kids, including the Halloween where Kasy, Sheki, and Tara's Jessica had dressed as the Powerpuff girls.

"Did you bring your tennis racket?" Bonnie asked Linda. The black woman nodded yes.

"You're going to get on the court with Linda?" Marcella asked in disbelief.

"I'm not planning on beating her," Bonnie replied. "But I want to play her. I've been taking lessons the last couple years."

"She'll take you apart," Jessica warned, "she's, like, a professional level player."

"I am not," Linda laughed. "I was second best in state in high school. I never made it over third net in college. I just play to have fun now. Bonnie might beat me."

"I doubt it," Bonnie scoffed. "But my coach says playing someone better than I am improves my game."

Several women had trouble believing Ron was still in school, and planned to start a program in organic chemistry.

Crystal summed it up best, "Ron, you know we all love you like a brother, but we sort of figured you as the guy most likely to be asking, 'You want fries with that?'."

Kim laughed, "I always told you, Ron could do anything he wanted."

"You told us," Liz agreed, "but somehow it was hard to take him seriously when he had that mole rat doing his math homework for him."

"Hey, when I leave college mom and dad expect me to get a job," Ron explained. "So I have to ask myself, what's the point in graduating."

All the women laughed loudly. "You're still Ron," one told him, while another added, "I wish I'd thought of that."

Several of the women were starting to yawn when Maggie suggested they turn in. "Wedding isn't until Sunday. We have all day to talk if we don't sleep through Saturday. Breakfast at eight."

Maggie and her sister Jessica were sharing a room, as were Hope and Marcella.

"Something's wrong between Ron and Kim," Hope declared as she got ready for bed.

"What do you mean?"

"He was too close to Bonnie, I think he was flirting with her."

"Those two never liked each other."

"I'm telling you, if Ron isn't cheating on Kim he's at least trying."

Marcella thought for a minute, "She was the one who kissed him on the cheek in the parking lot… But she was the one closest to him."

"She's always the one closest to him. Watch them together."

"But Kim--"

"The woman is always the last to know."


	2. A Serpent in Paradise

Disney owns all the Kim Possible characters.

**A Serpent in Paradise**

Kim's alarm went off at seven forty and she sent Tara to the other room to get Ron moving.

At seven-fifty Jessica came down the hallway, knocking on the doors of former cheerleaders to make sure people were moving. Ron opened the door to the room he 'shared' with Kim when the blonde woman knocked. "We're up."

"Good, breakfast in ten."

Jessica noticed Ron and Kim had slept in separate beds. She knew they weren't married, but they had two daughters. What was wrong with the relationship? Jessica had a bigger surprise when Bonnie opened the door to the next room to assure her that she and Tara were moving. Only one bed in their room had been slept in. Jessica had no idea what was going on - and couldn't wait to share the news with the others.

During breakfast Crystal introduced her friend Beverly, whose father owned the resort. The college buddy was a tall, large-boned woman, tanned from working around the grounds during the summer. Crystal also introduced them to her fiancé, Antonio. Tony was shorter than they expected, but charming.

He chatted with them a few minutes and looked around the long table, "Middleton must be wonderful city. So many beautiful women, except for her, of course," he said pointing to Ron, "She's really uuugly."

Several of the women jumped to Ron's defense.

"Do I get to see you at all today?" Tony asked Crystal before he left them.

She gave him a kiss, "After tomorrow I'm yours forever. But I'm going to be with my friends as much as I can today."

"Dinner with our parents tonight. You aren't going to forget that."

"I was going to try." She gave him another kiss. "I'll be at your room at six-thirty."

After breakfast they moved to the lounge. The bar would remain closed until late in the afternoon, but the lounge was light and airy, with huge windows looking out on the mountains. "If it rains tomorrow we'll have the ceremony in here instead of outside on the deck," Crystal told them.

"With the forecast for sunny and gorgeous," Marcella added.

"Amen," Crystal said, and showed them she had her fingers crossed for luck.

They chatted for another couple hours, catching up on what they'd been doing. Several wanted a cheer for the wedding. Marcella found some rhymes for Tony that had the group laughing hysterically and which prompted Crystal to make them swear a solemn oath there would be no cheers at the wedding and no one would repeat any of the suggestions anyplace where they would get back to either mother.

"I really could use a nap before lunch," Liz yawned. "Yesterday was too long."

"I didn't get enough sleep, don't sleep well in a strange bed," Tara apologized. "I could use one too."

Tara missed the odd look Jessica gave her.

"Okay, but no naps after lunch," Maggie said firmly. "We haven't been together like this in years."

"Oh, let's go up the mountain after lunch," Crystal suggested. "The view is incredible."

"I don't think I want that much exercise," Hope protested.

"Bev said she'd start up the ski lift for us. We can ride up and spend some time, then I'll give her a call on the cell phone and she'll get it moving to bring us down."

After Liz and Tara left, Bonnie declared, "Well, I'm going to go to the fitness room. Ron, could you give me a massage in half an hour?"

Ron nodded. And Bonnie wished she hadn't asked based on the looks a couple women gave her.

"He's an incredible masseuse," Bonnie explained.

"Just wondering how you know."

"Please," Kim interjected, "the three of us have been living in the same house for years."

"Oh, that's right," Linda laughed. "Talk about weird. How did that happen again?"

"Campus housing assigned us as dorm mates our first year in college," Kim explained. "God, we hated it. We were ready to strangle each other that first month."

"But I got used to Kim eventually," Bonnie continued. "I even got her to throw her dirty clothes into a hamper and introduced her to the washing machine."

"Oh yeah, like learning to live with you and your insane hours was easy," Kim fired back.

"She stayed up late?" someone asked.

"No, she went to bed early and got up early… But when I got my own place I wanted her in with me. She's helped me a lot."

Bonnie came back with, "And you've helped me a lot."

_"And now she's trying to steal Ron from you,"_ Hope thought.

"Why do I feel like there may be hope for peace between Israel and the Palestinians?" Maggie wondered.

Bonnie and Maggie headed for the fitness room. Ron went to change and promised join them there soon. Kim wandered off to explore the resort. Linda noticed her going out onto the deck to look at the mountains and followed her outside.

Kim stood at the railing, looking out at the slopes. The black woman sat down on the railing, "Hey, Kim."

"Hey."

"So, what's with you and the green lady?"

Kim sighed, "Well, I said I wouldn't deny anything if anyone asked… Just wondering how you heard?"

Linda chuckled, "Since I came out to my family my mom sends me clips of every gay person in the news. And rumors. One of the women where she works was saying you and… What's her name?"

"Sharon is her real name."

"Anyway, someone sayin' the two of you were an item. The other people who work there didn't believe it. But mom sent the rumor on."

"So you're…"

"Queer? Gay? A lesbo? Yeah."

"At least you didn't say dyke. I always hated that one. It was what Bonnie used to say when I told her."

"And you let her move in with you?"

"I needed her. I really did. And she's gotten better. Your tone of voice didn't sound like your mother is very happy about it."

"No, but I think she's adjusting. It's how I am. How are your parents?"

"Pretty cool, really. When did you find out… discover…"

"Middle school. At least that was when I noticed that all the other girls were starting to pay attention to the boys and I was interested in the other girls. Same for you?"

"No, after high school. I found myself being attracted to--"

"Wait, _after_ high school," Linda laughed.

"Yeah, that summer… What's so funny?"

"I kind of suspected you in high school. There were a couple times I thought I caught you looking at Bonnie in the showers."

"Really?"

"Really."

Kim thought for a minute, then shrugged, "Just envy I suspect. She was the hottest cheerleader on the squad."

"Oh, she was indeed," Linda agreed. "But when I looked it wasn't just envy. I'm glad I didn't ask you out though."

"Yeah, I'd have freaked. So, you have a significant other?"

"Just my cat. Got a couple women I'm seeing, but no one special… Hey, your girls? Did you and Ron…"

"No, it was artificial. Probably not the smartest thing I've done. I thought it made sense at the time. But they're incredibly awesome kids."

"Did you know Bonnie helped me out so I could get here?"

"No, I didn't know that."

"She didn't tell you? I thought she would have told everyone."

"It may be hard for some of you who haven't seen much of her. But she has changed. Did you know she and Ron are seeing each other?"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Oh, man, she has changed… Hey, didn't I hear you and Ron were sharing a room?"

"Hmm, that was Bonnie's idea. I'm not really out, and she wants to protect my reputation."

"Or she wants to protect hers and thinks we'd make fun of her for dating Ron."

"That would be the old Bonnie. This is the new and improved Bonnie. Bonnie three point one. I think she really wants this weekend to be about Crystal's wedding. Not about her, not about me, not about the fact Ron is slow in getting a ring and asking her officially."

"What?"

"Cross my heart… We've got adjoining rooms and Ron is sleeping with… I shouldn't be telling you this. Can you keep all that a secret? I really think she doesn't want anything this weekend but the most beautiful wedding in the world for Crystal. I know some of the girls still resent her from high school and--"

"You need to tell them!"

"And then it's about Bonnie. Or me. Or Bonnie and Ron. Or even Ron and me. Please, she doesn't want any attention this weekend. No fights. Let's just be here for Crystal."

Linda grinned, "So, now she's a decent person to go with the smokin' hot body. I don't suppose she's interested in girls?"

"Sorry. I think I'd have first dibs. At least she isn't the 'phob she was."

"You make her sound as nice as Tara."

Kim laughed, "I don't think anyone is as nice as Tara. Josh is so lucky she loves him. I don't think any other woman would… Sorry. I'm gossiping. I swore I wouldn't do that."

They chatted a few more minutes. Kim filled her in on what was happening with Monique. Then Linda went back inside while Kim turned back to the scenery.

Linda had a hard time keeping her promise. The other women were in a conspiratorial huddle in front of the fireplace when she got back inside the lounge. They immediately fell silent at her approach.

"Hey, you were going to take a nap," Linda said to Liz.

"Got to my room and realized I can sleep after the wedding. We haven't been all together in years."

"Why did everyone get quiet when I came in? Talkin' about me?"

"No, we're trying to figure out how to punish Ron and Bonnie," Marcella answered.

"They're not treating Kim right," Hope continued.

"There is something really weird going on," Jessica answered.

Linda's blank expression conveyed that she had no idea what they were talking about.

Hope glanced around, "Have you seen the way Ron is flirting with Bonnie?" she asked Linda in a hushed tone.

"And he isn't even sleeping with Kim," Jessica added.

"Not that I care," Linda commented, "but how do you know that?"

"I stopped at their room this morning to make sure they were up for breakfast, and both beds had been slept in!" Jessica told her.

Linda had a pretty good idea why, but had promised to not say anything. "Maybe one of them had a headache. What difference does it make?"

"It gets even weirder," Jessica insisted. "In Bonnie and Tara's room only one bed had been used!"

Linda sighed, "Who cares?"

"Don't you see? Bonnie is leading Ron on… Or maybe he's just treating Kim poorly… And--"

"And none of this is any of our business," Linda reminded them, "Come on, we're here to see friends and enjoy Crystal's wedding."

"It's just like high school," Hope insisted, "Bonnie is still doing Kim dirty. And I want to do something."

"Going to push her and Ron off a cliff?" They looked properly shocked. Linda wanted them to realize just how silly the conversation had become.

"Of course not! We don't want anyone to really get hurt."

Linda pressed forward, "Then why are you going to bother?" A couple of them seemed to waiver. Why were they bothering?

Hope persisted, "After all the good things Kim did for all of us? After the way Bonnie treated everyone like dirt in high school? Kim gave Bonnie a place to stay and she tempts Ron behind Kim's back? I don't want to hurt anybody, but I need to do something. I just can't ignore it. She's still living in high school."

_"Someone's still living in high school,"_ Linda thought. _"And I don't think it's Kim or Bonnie."_ She wondered how much of Hope's vendetta had anything to do with Bonnie's present behavior and how much was based on some slight Bonnie might have given, or Hope imagined, years in the past.

A couple women nodded in sympathy with Hope. Linda had to think fast. If she joined the conspirators she might be able to upset their plans. But Bonnie and Kim were right, this was supposed to be Crystal's weekend. Linda didn't want to tell Kim, Bonnie, or Ron what was happening. Kim didn't need the headache. She didn't know Ron that well and didn't know how he might react. And Bonnie? Bonnie might have mellowed, but Linda remembered her ability to hold a grudge. Crystal's wedding did not need a fight between Bonnie and Hope. Linda desperately hoped she'd find some way to keep the peace by herself.

The black woman half listened as the others plotted. Some suggestions were so minor that Bonnie or Ron might not even notice they were being pranked. Unfortunately these were discarded as quickly as they were suggested. Once or twice someone suggested something with potential for harm. Fortunately these were discarded almost as quickly. She began to think they might settle for venting their annoyance in the conversation without actually doing anything when Kim came in and asked, "What was that about going to the top of the mountain this afternoon?"

"It's beautiful up there," Crystal assured her. "I've been up a couple times when I've been here before. Bev said she's start up the chair lift for us."

"I thought I saw the start of a trail behind the big shed. I didn't see the chair lift - jut a rope tow."

"Yeah, that's the trail. It's a good forty, forty-five minutes to hike to the top. Do you remember seeing some trees?"

"I saw a lot of trees."

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Well, the chair lift isn't really visible from the lodge. It's like a hundred yards out there. The rope tow is just for the bunny slope."

"Anyone else want to hike?" Kim asked.

"Chair lift for me." "Me too." I'm not planning to break a sweat this weekend."

"Well, I'll hike," Kim told them.

"Hey, we'll get Bev to start the lift in half an hour and meet you at the top," Crystal suggested. "If we're a little late wait for us."

Kim waved, "Later," and left to conquer the hill.

"This might be a chance," Hope said slowly.

"How?"

"Crystal, how high is the chair lift in the air?"

She thought for a minute, "Thirty to forty feet, tops."

"High enough that if someone were stranded up there he wouldn't be stupid enough to try and get down on his own, right? You'd be stuck up there for a couple hours until help came, wouldn't you?"

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking Ron goes up with us, but he doesn't come down."

"Won't Bonnie or Kim get suspicious?"

"Kim is taking the trail… Linda?"

"Yes?"

"We need you to distract Bonnie."

"Distract Bonnie?"

"Ohh, I think I get it," Marcella broke in. "Linda, didn't you say something about playing tennis with Bonnie?"

"Yes."

"Kim's on the trail. Bonnie is playing tennis with you. No one notices poor Ron stranded on the ski lift while we look for a mechanic to fix the motor."

Linda reluctantly agreed. She needed help and didn't have many options. If she told Kim, Ron, or Bonnie she feared it might turn into a real fight. She would tell someone, but only if she had to. Kim would make a good ally, but Linda didn't want to bother Kim if she could help it - too much chance of Kim's sexual preference becoming the center of attention. That left one person. Since they suspected Tara was sleeping with Bonnie they'd left her out of the conspiracy. The blonde woman didn't appear to be a good candidate for subterfuge, but she looked like the only option Linda had.

"Okay, we leave Ron up on the chair lift for, like, three or four hours before we get the motor 'fixed'. What do we do to Bonnie?" Marcella asked.

Maggie came in from the fitness room and was quickly filled in. She initially seemed reluctant, but finally agreed to the plan since everyone else seemed in on it.

Various ideas were tossed out and rejected until Jessica mentioned in passing, "I wish there was some way to get her drunk."

"Oh, that would work," Hope agreed.

"How do you do it? Liz objected, "Keep buying her drinks? Won't she suspect something?"

Maggie tried to remember, "Didn't she have some kind of cocktail last night before the bar closed?"

"I think so."

Hope ran with the idea, "We could see if we could get a double shot of vodka added to hers. A couple of those and she'd be looped."

Liz started having second thoughts. Bonnie had paid for her ticket, and so far the brunette hadn't flaunted the favor the way Liz had feared. Bills for grad school had her strapped for cash, and Liz had been willing to endure Bonnie's gloating if it meant seeing friends. But Bonnie had told no one. "I don't know," she said slowly, "that's a really dirty trick."

"It's not like she can get hurt driving back to her room," Marcella insisted. "I think it would be funny."

"Getting someone drunk isn't nice," Maggie objected.

"Hey we all agreed to do this, remember?" Hope demanded. "We're doing it for Kim."

Linda, Maggie, and Liz had begun to suspect it was not being done for Kim at all, it was being done for Hope and some old grudge she held.

The group broke up, with some changing clothes, hitting the bathroom, or getting a snack while Crystal went in search of Bev.

Linda volunteered to wake Tara. The blonde woman was too sleepy at first to try and explain events to her, so they went to the fitness center to tell Ron and Bonnie about the mountain plans. "Kim's hiking up the mountain. Most of the rest of them will be heading up on the chair lift in a couple minutes. Ron, they want you to go with them. Bonnie, how about we get in our tennis while they take in the view?"

"Sounds great! Let me change."

"Yeah, I need to change too." Linda agreed. "Tara, could I talk to you for a minute, privately?"

The blonde nodded in agreement and Linda tried to explain as simply as clearly what was happening as she could. She tried to stress keeping Kim, Bonnie, and Ron from knowing what the other planned, and foiling the attempts to annoy them without drawing attention to themselves.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Tara asked.

"I don't know. Look I just found about this. It's not like I've had hours to think about it. Come and get me as soon as you get back from the mountain. Maybe I'll have figured out something by then. I still don't know exactly how they plan to leave Ron stranded up there without it looking suspicious."

"Okay," Tara promised, "I'll do my best."

_"I hope that's good enough."_

Stranding Ron proved easier than anyone had imagined.

Liz shared the bench with him on the way up, feeling slightly like Judas and wondering if she should warn him, but not wanting to get anyone else upset with her.

They found Kim waiting for them at the top. She assured them the trail was lovely and tried to talk anyone into hiking down with her. Ron almost agreed, but Hope took his arm and announced, "You can't have him, we need him to protect us from the dangers of the chair lift."

After a half an hour of sightseeing Kim waved and started back down the trail and Crystal called Bev and asked her to start the chairlift again.

This was the part Hope dreaded. Since she was the one pushing for the vendetta the others had insisted she take the job of stalling Ron. As he joined the women in lining up for a ride down the mountain she called, "Ron, can you help me? I think I lost my cell phone somewhere up here?"

"Are you sure?"

"No, but would you help me look for a minute?"

"May as well help her," Marcella suggested. "We'll see you when you get down."

Ron searched, and Hope pretended to search long enough for the women to almost get down.

"Are you sure you brought it up with you?" Ron asked.

"No, I'm not sure… Ron, why don't you go down now. Ask them to keep the lift running for another fifteen minutes. If I haven't found it by then I'll give up and go down."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure, ask for another fifteen minutes."

Ron got on the lift and Hope let him get far enough away that he couldn't hear the call she made to Crystal. "He's on his way."

"Let me know when he's almost to the bottom, before that last support tower."

"Okay… Another minute… Almost there… NOW!"

The women who left at first were all safely back on the ground when the chair lift suddenly stopped.

"I still don't know what you're pulling," Bev complained to Crystal.

"It's a harmless joke on the guy who was on the squad. You need to go tell him there's a problem with the machinery and you'll get it fixed as soon as you can."

"Nope, it's your joke. You lie to him. How long you want to leave him stranded?"

"Three hours?"

"That's a long joke. Those wooden benches are mighty uncomfortable."

"Please?"

Bev sighed, "I suppose, for you Crys. But I still think it's not very nice."

"We'll be back in three hours, you'll have found the right part and we'll let him down. No harm but a sore rear end."

Ron wondered what was going on, he watched Bev and Crystal come out of the shack which housed the machinery for the lift and Crystal walked up the slope until she was close enough to shout up to him, "Uh, something wrong with the machinery."

"Really?" he called back, "I hadn't noticed."

"Bev doesn't know if she has the part she needs in the lodge, may have to go into the hardware store."

"No problem," he shouted cheerfully, "I mean, it's not like I'm stranded on a ski lift thirty feet off the ground or anything."

On the mountain Hope put away her cell phone and got ready to hike down. She was not a great walker, and realized that the shoes she had on had never been intended for mountain trails.


	3. Angels Walk among Us

Disney owns the Kim Possible characters.

**Angels Walk among Us**

Tara remained hidden in the trees until Bev and Crystal were back at the lodge, then found Ron. "What happened? You and Hope didn't make it back with the rest of us."

"Crystal said some part broke. Bev is trying to get a new one."

"So, you're stranded?"

"Sure looks that way."

"Where's Hope?"

Ron turned around and peered at the lift benches behind him, "It appears I have no Hope. She was looking for her cell phone. The lift must have broken down before she got on."

"Maybe I can fix it and get you down."

"Uh, Tara? Thanks, but no thanks. You might just mess it up worse and then Bev won't be able to fix it."

"Let me look."

"Hey, not a good idea," he shouted as Tara disappeared into the shack.

Tara knew the diesel engine wasn't broken. Unfortunately she couldn't start the engine, nor could she have engaged the lift machinery if she had. She stared at the mechanism for a minute, then looked around the shack for something that might be useful.

"You didn't break anything did you?" Ron shouted as Tara trudged back.

"No, too complicated for me. Found a rope," she pointed to the coil of yellow nylon rope over her shoulder, "and a wrench." She waved the wrench in the air.

"How do you use a wrench on a rope?"

"I can't throw a rope that high. But maybe if I tie the wrench to it and I can throw it to you and you can climb down."

"Maybe I should wait until they see if they've got the part."

"You don't know that will take. Besides, it might be funny. You climb down, we put the rope away and they think you can fly."

Ron laughed, "Okay, just don't hurt yourself swinging that wrench."

On Tara's third attempt Ron caught the wrench tied to the rope. He pulled up the rope, shouted, "Look out below!" and dropped the wrench. He looped the rope over the seat of the lift bench, tied the ends together, and as Tara watched anxiously he shinnied down, untied the knot, and pulled the rope down.

"You make it look easy," she said in awe.

Ron grinned, "Piece of cake compared with the things I had to do with Kim."

"Let's put this stuff away and see if Bonnie is still playing Linda," Tara suggested.

"Shouldn't I look for Crystal and tell her not to worry?"

"Ron, promise me you won't tell anyone I helped you down?"

"Why not?"

"I think the mystery would be funny. Let people guess how you did it."

"That's silly."

"Please? I just saved you from being stuck up there for who knows how long."

"Okay, I owe you one. Your wish is my command."

Linda breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Tara and Ron approaching the court, and missed a hard return shot from Bonnie.

"How was the mountain?" Bonnie asked as the two sat on a bench to the side.

"Beautiful," Tara assured her. "You should have gone."

"Then I couldn't have gotten whipped in tennis by Linda."

"How is Bonnie playing?"

"Better than I expected," Linda told Ron. "Your girlfriend is really good."

"Girlfriend?" Bonnie asked in surprise.

"Sorry, Kim told me. She swore me to secrecy. Can I plead this doesn't count since you already know?"

"I guess," Bonnie sighed. "I wonder how many others Kim has sworn to secrecy."

"Probably no one," Linda assured her. "I had a little heart to heart with her this morning and it sort of came out."

Bonnie shrugged, "Can't do anything about it now."

"Come on, I need to beat you two more games for set and match."

"Ha! It's going to take you more than two games, I'm going to win another one or two."

Both women were dripping by the time the match ended. "How was I?" Bonnie asked eagerly.

Linda patted her on the shoulder, "Girl, you should have played in high school. We could have had the state women's doubles title if we'd been together."

Bonnie beamed at the compliment.

Ron looked at his watch, "Oops, dinner in forty-five minutes. And you two need a serious shower if you want to eat dinner with the rest of us."

_"A_ shower, for the two of us?" Linda replied, "sounds like the girls' locker room after cheerleading practice." She gave Bonnie an exaggerated wink, "You wash my back, I'll wash yours."

Bonnie laughed, "Sorry, that falls under the category of boyfriend's job. Hey, Ron, maybe if we sneak into the lodge quietly enough, you can fulfill your duty."

Tara and Linda lagged behind Ron and Bonnie on the way back. "How did it go?" the black woman asked.

"It went okay. Ron said he wouldn't tell anyone I helped him down. We're just going to leave it a mystery."

* * *

Kim joined the others in the lounge after her hike. The others expected her to ask about Ron, and weren't sure what it meant when she didn't. The conversation seemed a little strained to the redhead.

Hope had four blisters on her feet when she arrived back at the lodge. The only comfort she had was the knowledge Ron was even more uncomfortable. She hobbled into the lounge and ordered a large Margarita to help with the pain.

Kim showed the most sympathy for her plight.

Maggie cleared her throat, "Crystal, shouldn't you see if Beverly got the part she needed to fix the chairlift?"

Hope was not in a good position to demand, 'No, wait another hour,' but objected with, "I'm sure Bev will let you know."

"It doesn't hurt to check," Liz insisted. Even if Crystal had wanted to wait longer there was no longer a good way to do it with Kim there. Crystal stood up and went in search of her friend, hurrying as slowly as possible.

Crystal came back twenty-five minutes later, looking a little worried.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she snapped, "Nothing at all. Chairlift is working fine."

Kim turned to Hope, "A shame it broke down and you had to hike down."

Fifteen minutes later Kim went back to the bar for another cranberry juice and seltzer. "What's wrong," Marcella hissed at Crystal.

"Ron's gone."

"Gone?"

"He wasn't up in the chair lift."

"He didn't fall, did he?"

"No, there was nothing. It was just weird."

There was a minute of silence. "All right, who helped him?" Hope demanded.

"What do you--" Jessica began to protest, then fell silent as Kim returned with her drink.

Kim talked about the hike up the mountain. No one else wanted to join the conversation. They glanced around at each other, Hope was right - someone helped Ron. Kim and Hope could not have done it. Linda had been keeping Bonnie occupied. Tara was even further out of the loop than usual… They tried to remember if any one had taken a longer than expected break from the rest of them. A couple of them assumed it must have been Beverly, but suspicion hung heavily over Liz and Maggie who had objected the most. Jessica and Marcella also drew attention to themselves by encouraging Kim to talk about her work for Global Justice. What had begun ostensibly as a plan to punish Ron and Bonnie for their perceived mistreatment of Kim had changed the group dynamics so that being friendly with Kim marked them as potential traitors to the others.

* * *

Crystal's obligations to her family kept her from eating dinner with the rest. Ron's promise to Tara kept him from bringing up the chairlift story, and a fear of revealing too much kept the conspirators from quizzing him about how he got down. Ron felt some disappointment that it wasn't the center of the conversation. And Linda and Tara smiled as they watched the others glance at Ron and then nervously look around at each other.

After dinner they moved to the lounge. Bonnie hoped to avoid the appearance of evil by suggesting Kim and Ron sit together on one couch, but the way Tara eagerly sat by the brunette caused some stares. Linda had a bad feeling about this, but didn't know what to do. When the waitress came over Maggie asked about setting up a tab for the group, and was told their drinks for the evening had been taken care of.

"Crystal's folks," Jessica guessed, "they were great hosts when we had parties over there."

Marcella spoke up, "I'm gonna guess Tony's folks, Crystal's too smart to fall for a guy without money."

Maggie shook her head sadly at Marcella's comment, "You are evil," and ordered a glass of white wine.

A couple women didn't want to run up the bill for their unknown host and kept their orders simple. A couple women figured if someone else was paying for it they could order some exotic drinks they hadn't tried before.

Bonnie, who had instructed the bartender to put the evening's drinks on her bill, laughed and told Kim, "I found a drink you need to try, it's called a green widow."

Bonnie and Kim both ordered green widows, and Linda's fears were confirmed when Tara did also.

Bonnie tried to warn her against it, "You won't like it, it's too strong for you."

"If you recommend it to Kim I want to try it."

Bonnie sighed, the blonde usually stuck with soda. Bonnie had once seen Tara become giddy on two small glasses of wine.

The waitress went to the bar with their orders, and Hope went with her.

"I really can carry all the drinks," the waitress assured her.

"Probably, but there are so many of us I just want to be helpful."

"Hey, Bonnie," Hope called, "the bartender has a question about your green widow."

"He's never heard of it before?"

"No, he knows two of them. You want the one with curaçao and banana liqueur or the one with gin and peppermint liqueur?"

"Peppermint. Banana sounds gross."

Linda watched, feeling helpless, as Hope and the waitress brought the drinks back to the group. She gave Tara credit, even though she was watching for the blonde to switch drinks with Bonnie it was done so naturally Linda almost missed it.

Bonnie caught Kim's attention, "To green widows, may the children not leave them too exhausted." The other former cheerleaders weren't certain why the four who had traveled from Middleton laughed so hard at the toast.

Crystal arrived only a few minutes after the drinks.

The night before had been devoted to where people were now and what they were doing. Tonight seemed set apart for reminiscing about high school. They remembered every victory in every sport, and perhaps remembered more victories than the record books would show for the Middleton athletic teams. They shared any information they had on other girls who had been on the cheerleading squad at different times during what they called, 'The Kim Possible Era'.

They were ready to start on 'Most embarrassing moments in high school,' when Liz asked, "Should we order another round before we hear about which of Ron's accidents with his pants he considers the most embarrassing?"

Kim went back to her cranberry juice and seltzer. Tara waited until Bonnie had ordered a toreador and asked what was in it. "Whipped cream and crème de cacao sound like fun. I'll have one too."

"I don't think you'll care for the tequila in it," Bonnie told her.

"I never get to try any interesting drinks in Middleton, you know fun things to order," Tara protested.

"You're going to make me sound like a drunk," the brunette grumbled.

Linda could follow Tara's sleight of hand more easily this time. Fortunately the drink was smaller and so there was less room to hide vodka.

To Ron's slight discomfort the topic evolved from 'my most embarrassing moment' to 'my favorite story about Ron losing his pants'. Marcella appeared to have the best tale. In tenth grade American History he had just presented a report on why the South felt justified in leaving the United States in the Civil War and walked back to his desk, leaving his pants caught on the podium. "And the next day," Marcella solemnly informed the others, "Mrs. Knutson announced she was retiring from teaching history."

"A little help here, KP," Ron hissed at Kim.

"That's nothing," Kim informed the others, "let me tell you about the time we had to go after Professor Dementor in India and…"

"Not that one," Ron groaned.

Bonnie ordered a pogo stick for the third round, and Tara followed her again. "You're a lightweight," Bonnie reminded her, "you shouldn't try and keep up with me."

At least Linda offered her help that time. "Oh, that looks like fun," she told Tara after the drinks were switched. "Would you trade with me?"

Tara looked distinctly grateful as she traded glasses with Linda and took the black woman's ginger ale.

No one was drinking quickly. Given how long they sat and talked between ordering rounds if is doubtful if any of those who were drinking would have hit the legal limit of intoxication if the drinks had been prepared properly.

Linda didn't care for the grapefruit juice in the pogo stick, and could tell it was strong. She couldn't reasonably order another drink with her glass two-thirds full when Bonnie ordered a Jamaica green. Linda said a little prayer, hoping Tara had the good sense to let Bonnie drink the high octane cocktail herself. Good sense, unfortunately, had never been Tara's forte.

The blonde woman had joined in the reminiscing about cheerleading and sports at first. As the hours passed, however, she found herself wanting to start singing whenever someone said something which reminded her of a song. And it seemed like almost everyone said something which reminded her of a song. She appreciated Linda giving her a break on the third round.

Hope felt frustrated that this plan appeared to be going nowhere. She had put enough extra alcohol in Bonnie's drinks that, even at the slow pace people were drinking the actress should be showing some sort of symptoms.

Linda groaned at how poorly Tara made the switch of the glasses. The blonde's motor skills were seriously diminished and only the fact no one suspected her of doing anything kept her from being discovered.

Tara began giggling for no apparent reason while Maggie described her mother's recent surgery. Bonnie frowned and took Tara's drink away. The blonde thought of something terribly rude and funny to say, but passed out instead.

Bonnie and Linda took Tara back to the room.

Tara's eyes opened in fright when they laid her down. "The bed's moving!"

"Bed spins," Linda muttered, "not good." Linda told Bonnie to go back to the others, she'd stay and watch Tara.

* * *

Tara's tremendous headache the next day wasn't made easier to bear by Bonnie scolding her for drinking too much.

Linda considered punching Bonnie or joining the conspiracy against her for the way she treated Tara, but the blonde reminded her that Bonnie had tried to warn her against drinking too much and it looked like Tara had shown no sense in her drinking.

"Please, let me tell her," Linda begged. "She needs to know."

"No, she doesn't," Tara insisted. "She thinks I can't keep a secret."

"Some secrets shouldn't be kept."

"I'll know I can. Besides, she'd just get into a big fight with Hope if you told her. We don't want that. We're here for Crystal."

"God, I hope I can find someone as nice as you."

"I'm sure he's out there for you."

Tara could not understand Linda's odd laugh.

* * *

The conspiracy collapsed under its own weight. Several women wondered how Hope could have screwed up who she gave the spiked drinks to, and one or two half wondered if she had done it to Tara on purpose. The burden of resentment had shifted away from Bonnie, and as Hope limped on her blistered feet the other ex-conspirators felt like she brought it on herself.

After the wedding there were hugs, and kisses, and tears as everyone prepared to leave for the airport. To Bonnie's despair Ron took the Mad Dog head out of the trunk and everyone had her picture taken with him.

The four returning to Middleton had the earliest flight and had to leave first.

Tara closed her eyes and gently rubbed her temples as they pulled onto the road.

"You okay," Ron asked sympathetically.

"Not really," Tara groaned, "but I'll live."

Bonnie started to open her mouth with another, "I warned you to not drink," but thought better of it and said nothing. She had already reminded Tara of that fact several times and would let the hangover be sufficient punishment. _"I'm just glad she didn't do anything to mess up the weekend for the rest of us."_

* * *

"A sound head, an honest heart, and an humble spirit are the three best guides through time and to eternity" -Walter Scott

* * *

--The End--


End file.
